Very little food gets wasted in my house, if i have boiled potatoes/carrots etc one day and there are left overs I cook them up the next day and make what we call "hash" , cook up some ground beef, throw in a chopped onion /garlic , cut up the cold potato/carrots etc , salt and pepper plus whatever other seasoning you like, this time of year I throw in a ripe tomato as well, fry it all up , yummy, no waste. Its actually tastes better this way , must be the fat from the ground beef. Oh if your putting in a ripe chopped up tomato don't do it until the "Hash" is nearly done cooking or it will make it a tad runny, although its not bad that way either.

My buddy next door is always complaining about how much his wife "wastes" food, he says he could feed a pig on what she throws out in the compost bucket each day. I tell him his pig would starve if he was relying on my wasted food.

NorthernStacker wrote:Very little food gets wasted in my house, if i have boiled potatoes/carrots etc one day and there are left overs I cook them up the next day and make what we call "hash" , cook up some ground beef, throw in a chopped onion /garlic , cut up the cold potato/carrots etc , salt and pepper plus whatever other seasoning you like, this time of year I throw in a ripe tomato as well, fry it all up , yummy, no waste. Its actually tastes better this way , must be the fat from the ground beef. Oh if your putting in a ripe chopped up tomato don't do it until the "Hash" is nearly done cooking or it will make it a tad runny, although its not bad that way either.

My buddy next door is always complaining about how much his wife "wastes" food, he says he could feed a pig on what she throws out in the compost bucket each day. I tell him his pig would starve if he was relying on my wasted food.

That sounds pretty yummy. I hate when wife waste food.

One time when I was like 12 I came home and made peanut butter and jelly sammich with rye bread I had no idea what rye bread was and it tasted horrible. Mom came home and saw it in the trash and was like "we don't throw away food in this house" and I had to finish it. Chased every bite with a glass of milk and still hate rye bread to this day... When ever I go to Carnigie deli up in NYC I always order Ruben on sourdough. Waiter give me a funny look like really?!? Think I hear them muttering "Damm southerns" under their breath....

eventurer wrote:Most of my tshirts are from the 90's and most often don't through out clothes until their thread bare or too tight. The later happens more and more now...

Another thing I do is buy fancy high end dress shirts on eBay for when I need to get suited up. It's like buying a used car and letting someone else take the hit. Since their expensive they are generally well taken care but a fraction of the price.

I have almost all my t shirts from highl school and college stil! Wife has seen them for 10+ years now! Haha. She tosses them as they become ridiculously worn.

I also take a cheap route on expensive clothes, although it's a little different. I get mine custom made just for me:) but I order from Shanghai, I know a kid there. They have my measurements and I just let them know what I want and in what material! It's a sweet deal.

I also make my own ice tea or hot tea at home (Also imported). I can't Stand the I cups for many reasons- just don't like them in my house. Don't care about others choices.

pitw wrote:I was cheap until I caught an old neighbor reusing butt wipe in the out house . Now I'm extremely frugal.

What the hell were you....never mind, I don't want to know.

Berry picking.

ahahahahahahaha

Man you crack me up.

I'm not cheap....well not when it comes to guns, metal detectors and coins. I believe in buying quality that lasts. I spend more on metal detectors than cars these days. Hey, cars don't find gold and platinum rings!

I am not cheap. I like to buy nice things, I believe in quality of life, I will never try to save money on my family. With that said, I do a ton of research and get the best possible deal on everything I buy, I buy in bulk everything as practical, and I won't allow waste, no matter how immaterial.

H2SO4 wrote:I have almost all my t shirts from highl school and college stil! Wife has seen them for 10+ years now! Haha. She tosses them as they become ridiculously worn.

I'm not going to give away all my cheap trade secrets. But, I'm so cheap my high school and college shirts are now cut up snot rags. Virtually all our clothes come from the 2nd hand store. My wife is the queen of finding actual uniform shirts/pants from the school my kids go to at the thrift store. We do buy new shoes and sox but only on sale or with coupon. I only bought one new truck/car in my life back in '98. I had the GM credit card maxed out with bonus $$ to buy a 1500. That will never happen again. I drive used rice burners that last to 1/4 million miles now.

We have so many compact fluorescent/LED light bulbs (a case not used yet,) hang our own laundry to dry, and throttle the thermostat on the furnace so far back, hang curtains to stop any air flow/infiltration, and close off the vents to less used parts of the house that we are in the top 10% of least energy users in the Syracuse area according to NYSEG. And that with two teenagers in the house.

Our coffee maker is a Mr. Coffee from the thrift store. Cost me $5. We grind already ground beans to powder them down to Espresso style in order to leach out every milligram of caffeine we can get out of them. After the pot is gone, I put another cup of water through for the last cup of weak coffee. And never use the K-cups. Even the guy that invented them says they are an environmental disaster and could easily be made decomposable, but don't take my word for it.

Like BigJohn I research any/every significant purchase and always buy in bulk sales. Waste infuriates me. All kitchen scraps are composted. We boil the bones and vegetable scraps to make soup stock or make rice/beans with. Nor'stacker, I'm going to try out your hash "a la Brick" some day..

I understand the multi-wipe piece of TP but, draw the line there. Our kids had cloth diapers and my wife used a pump to stock up on mother's milk for the kids in case she went dry. Most got donated once the kids were weaned. Yes, you can donate mothers milk.

I did buy a custom suit in Singapore on my way back from the Brunei oil fields but that was over 3 decades ago. Perhaps when my daughter gets married I'll get a pin striped double breasted to wear with Fedora and do the original Gangsta look.

In short, living austerity with the depression era attitude of "Use it Up, Wear it Out Make it Do or Do Without".

"You pompously call your selves Republicans and Democrats. There is no Republican Party. There is no Democratic Party. There are no Republicans or Democrats in this house. You are Lick-Spittlers and panderers, the creatures of the plutocracy".- Jack London

"It is a government of corporations, by corporations, and for corporations."- Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President

Brick's wrote:I understand the multi-wipe piece of TP but, draw the line there. In short, living austerity with the depression era attitude of "Use it Up, Wear it Out Make it Do or Do Without".

TP??? Napkins are free! "Live well within your budget... and you will live well, within your budget."

Anything we don't waste on everyday expenses we get to spend on extra shiny.

The Hand of God moves WorldsWe are here to help others by practicing a friendly attitude. Every person is borne for a purpose. Everyone has a God-given potential, in essence, built into them. If we are to live life to its fullest, we must realize that potential.